Set during the Gulf War, the story focuses on the life of third-generation enlistee Anthony Swofford (Jake Gyllenhaal) from his time at boot camp to active duty. Anthony undergoes rigorous basic training under his commanding officer Staff Sergeant Sykes (Jamie Foxx) and is soon partnered up with Troy (Peter Sarsgaard) before heading to Saudi Arabia. There the Marines go through the blazing desert fields to fight an enemy for a cause they don't fully understand.